Exhibit
From March 31–May 11, 2008 the Laurence McKinley Gould Library will host The Writer’s Job: James Baldwin Speaking Out, featuring two portraits by Richard Olney. An opening reception will be held on Sunday, April 13 from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. in the Gould Library Athenaeum.
About the Exhibit
The exhibition The Writer's Job: James Baldwin Speaking Out examines the extraordinary legacy of James Baldwin (1924-1987) through a selection of photographs, ephemera, and books that document his role as one of America's most influential cultural critics and essayists. In a 1962 essay in the New York Times, Baldwin wrote that the job of the writer is “to speak out about the world as it is.” This exhibition examines some of the ways in which Baldwin made his voice heard: as a globally-recognized public intellectual in the 1950s, 1960s, and beyond; as a poet-playwright interacting with students and faculty on college campuses; and as an important influence on visual and performing artists, both through collaboration and as an inspiration for artists working since his death in 1987.
This exhibition is organized by the Gould Library, Carleton College with grateful acknowledgment for the assistance of Dr. Sura Levine, Professor of Art History, at Hampshire College. The exhibit incorporates materials from an exhibition curated by Dr. Levine at the Hampshire College Art Gallery in 2007.
